A ray of light travelling in air enters obliquely into water. Does the lightray bend towards the normal or away from the normal? Why?
Question
A ray of light travelling in air enters obliquely into water. Does the lightray bend towards the normal or away from the normal? Why?
Solution
When a ray of light travels from air to water, it undergoes a change in its direction. This change in direction is known as refraction.
To determine whether the light ray bends towards the normal or away from the normal, we need to consider the refractive index of air and water. The refractive index is a measure of how much a medium can bend light.
The refractive index of air is approximately 1, while the refractive index of water is around 1.33. Since the refractive index of water is greater than that of air, the light ray will bend towards the normal when it enters water.
This bending towards the normal occurs because light travels slower in water than in air. As the light ray enters the water, it slows down and changes direction towards the normal. This change in direction is a result of the change in speed of light in different mediums.
Therefore, when a ray of light travels from air to water, it bends towards the normal.
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